This morning, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the October 2024 Visa Bulletin. Unfortunately, there is less forward movement than hoped for in this first visa bulletin of fiscal year 2025 (FY25). All cutoff dates listed refer to those in the final action chart...
Answer In general, yes, this is permissible. There is a USCIS memo that says, as long as one I-140 petition was filed within the validity period of the labor certification, another I-140 petition can be filed. (11.Sep.2024)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies...
The majority of immigration cases are adjudicated correctly by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and other relevant U.S. government agencies. But there are situations in which a government agency makes an adverse decision on a case that is contrary to the law. In...
Answer There is no statute or regulation that specifically addresses this issue. Over the years, however, there has been some guidance indicating (or, at least, implying) that traveling while an H1B extension of stay is permissible, and that the beneficiary's new I-94 will go into effect...
Answer Typically, yes, it is possible to use work experience gained abroad, assuming the experience was related to the position. (28.Aug.2024)Sheela Murthy and other senior attorneys provide guidance that clarifies the law. For information on our FREE online services, click here. Access more FAQs here. Copyright ©...
Answer You should be eligible for the 60-day grace period in F-1 status as long as your STEM OPT was not denied due to an F-1 status violation. While you are in your grace period, you may transfer your SEVIS to another program of study or...
As the second round of the FY2025 cap lottery begins, it is important to note one avoidable reason for an H1B petition – or really, any type of petition or application – to be rejected by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is for...
Answer On the DS-160, there is an option to include information regarding a second I-797 approval notice. Generally speaking, in this situation, one should include both approvals in the DS-160, and request during the interview that the visa be issued for the longer duration. (14.Aug.2024)Sheela Murthy...
Special handling, sometimes referred to as optional special recruitment, is a PERM labor certification process solely carved out for those who teach at U.S. colleges and universities. While similar to the regular PERM process, in that it requires a test of the U.S. labor market,...
This afternoon, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) released the September 2024 Visa Bulletin. There is no forward movement in any of the employment-based categories from the previous month. Worse still, as the DOS previously predicted, the EB3 category cutoff date for certain countries has...
